johng wrote:Hornet wrote:
50% of the 'fans' at the Wembley match were there for the 'musical entertainment'. I've been to a couple of Sarries games in Wembley, and if it wasn't for the £10 tickets and the pre match entertainment involving someone from Britains Got (No) Talent, the place would have been less than half full. (Remember our HC game with them. More there for Tinie Tempah than the game).
I was at that too. I remember it for the way we closed it out keeping them in their own half with the ball for the last 5 mins (seemed like about 15) and Jonny Sex scoring all 25 points.
Saracens are an odd team. I have vague memories of watching them on telly in the 70s. (Probably the Fezes that did it) Harlequins too. (again the bright colours)
Not sure when they became the "most hated team in England" for a lot of people. Wray has been involved since the dawn of professionalism and they possibly would have disappeared without him. So it can't be just him. I used to enjoy watching them a few years ago with Chesney and Glen Jackson etc. Probably the direction they took just after that with Venter and all his countrymen etc.
Not a huge fan of the razzmatazz around them, but possibly not as traditionalist as some either.
Wray has bankrolled them since the amateur era, and if it wasn't for him and his cash they would not have joined the Professional ranks in the 90's. I watched them regularly in the late 90's. At that time they were renown for picking 'big' names who, quite frankly were paying for their pensions. There was a push to get a lot of Corporate backers in, and with Pienaar in there as Coach, the first push for South African backers begun. Sarries Season Ticket holders were pushed out of the prime seats in the Rous Stand (Watford F.C.), as well as losing their prime pre match drinking hole in the Bar behind the Rous Strand to the Corporates. That didn't go down to well with the 'Fez Heads' who moved their allegience to the 'Red Lion' across the road from the Stadium.
Saracens has always struggled to get a loyal following, and lost many fans in the early 2000's, as the results were nowhere near good enough for a team that had such a large amount of resources to work with. Wray angered a lot of people with his plea to ringfence the Premiership. His argument to scrap relegation did not go down at all well with many of the Championship fans who looked at it as the big boys throwing their weight around, (sounds familiar). Many looked at it as if he was trying to protect his investment rather than considering the greater good of English Rugby. (Sarries were not performing at all well during this time).
One thing that has always surprised me with Sarries, and that is it's failure to grow it's fanbase in any major way. They have, since the 90's, been involved in many initiatives to increase it. I think it is down to the more conservative Rugby Fans taste, to the razzmatazz at Vicarage Road, Wembley, and more recently Allianz Park. They want to watch a game of Rugby, not Dancing Girls, Acrobats, Pop Stars, etc. Older English people are generally more conservative in their views an can do without all the kerfluffle before a game. Youngster love it, but they are living in an area North West London where Rugby would still be considered 'elitest', and even though they might go to some of the big Wembley game, it's not for the Rugby, so are lost as potential future fans. Even with Sarries successes over the last few years it hasn't massively increased it's Season Ticket sales, which I would estimate to be around 6000 to 7000. There seems to be a lack of identity for younger fans who probably look on the seasoned 'Fez Heads' as rather odd and old.
Their nearest rivals, Wasps, have been more family orientated, and their on field successes in the mid 2000's boosted their season ticket sales as well as selling out Adams Park many a time. Unfortunately for them their recent history and the uncertainty regards the future of the club has hit them hard. My Wasps supporting mates estimate that the season ticket sales may be down in the low 5000's. Wasps are in a much better area to capitalise on drawing in good and new supporters. Their ground is in a part of South East England with very low unemployment and high disposable income. They need to get back to winning ways and work with the local Rugby clubs to get that support back.
Both of them would be envious of our yearly season ticket hauls. Perhaps this is another area they need to work on. My season ticket in the RDS Block J is around €130 cheaper than my mates at Adams Park. His seat is in line with the 22 as opposed to mine which is 5m off line of the Half Way line. They would also be envious of our ability to sell out our biggest Rugby Stadium without any hype apart from the fact its Leinster v Munster, and it will be about the Rugby only, and not the pre game act's of Tinie Tempah or Little Mix. Rugby for Rugby sake. Bring it on!
OMFG.
